1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, an image forming method, and a computer program product.
2. Description of the Related Art
Techniques of converting print data described in page description language (PDL) or the like into converted data, which reflects print condition, in a printable form with a raster image processor (RIP) have been known in recent years. Meanwhile, methods of speeding up a printing process during reprinting by using converted data converted by an RIP are conventionally developed.
For example, a method of managing print data entities associated with contents of past print requests so that, in the case that a user performs reprinting of print data stored by the user when the user has performed printing or in the case that a user performs printing of print data stored by another user, the reprinting or the printing can be performed efficiently is disclosed (in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2009-037409).
A method of managing a print job as a print hold job when an out-of-supply condition is detected so that, even when printing of the print job is inhibited by occurrence of an error resulting from an out-of-paper, out-of-staple, out-of-ink error, or a like situation, the print job can be reprinted after resolution of the error is disclosed (in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2004-288032).
However, it is not possible by using the method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2009-037409 to reflect, when reprinting a stored document, a change made to print-related condition of the document after the document has been stored, in the print-related condition. It is not possible by using the method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2004-288032 to reflect, when reprinting a print hold job, a change made to print-related condition of the print hold job into the print-related condition.
The methods of Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2009-037409 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2004-288032 exhibit poor operability because, each time when reprinting is to be performed, the methods force a user to determine applicable conditions and set the conditions individually in order to reflect, in the condition, the change made after the document has been stored or after the print job has been stored. A configuration in which print condition is automatically and invariably set to the same print condition as those at a time of storage of the document or the print job can disadvantageously lead to degradation in image quality because the condition cannot be set to be suitable for equipment, by which the print data is to be output.